1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thin film magnetic head for magnetically recording information in a magnetic recording medium and a method for manufacturing the magnetic head, and particularly to a thin film magnetic head and a method for manufacturing the magnetic head incorporated in a hard disk drive (HDD) mounted in a personal computer or mobile equipment, for example.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, there has been made a report based on magnetic field analysis and calculation using a finite element Method with respect to a single pole type head of which a taper is provided at a main pole and a taper is provided at a trailing side or a leading side of a return path yoke (reference should be made to non-patent document 1, for example). According to the report, it is believed that tapers are provided on the main pole and the return path yoke, thereby making it possible to enhance recording magnetic field intensity of a single pole type head.
In general, in order to enhance the recording field intensity on the single pole type head, it is believed to be effective to reduce a length in a direction distant from a magnetic recording medium of a portion at which a width in a cross-track direction of a distal end of the main pole is substantially maintained (hereinafter, referred to as a throat height TH) and to reduce a length taken along TH of a portion opposed to the main pole of a side shield (hereinafter, referred to as a shield height SH). Further, in order to enhance recording resolution, it is believed to be effective to narrowly form a gap between the main pole and the side shield.
However, at present, there is no specific report relevant to a method for manufacturing the taper and TH of the main pole, SH of the side shield, or a head capable of achieving a narrow gap as described in the above report, and a magnetic head having sufficiently satisfactory recording characteristics has not been successfully manufactured.
Non-patent document 1: Hideaki WATANABE, Yasushi KANAI, Hiroaki MURAOKA, and Yoshihisa NAKAMURA, “Technical Report of the Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers (IEICE): Analysis of Recording Magnetic Field of Vertical Magnetic Recording SPT Head Assuming Planar Density 1 Tbit/in2”, Issued from the IEICE).